


All that I am

by panicparade



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Neville Longbottom, Fluff, Growing Up, HP: EWE, Happy Ending, M/M, Oblivious Draco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-08 00:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4283208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panicparade/pseuds/panicparade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"With all the dignity that he can manage, Draco takes Longbottom’s hand and allows himself to be hauled up.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	All that I am

**Author's Note:**

  * For [digthewriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/digthewriter/gifts).



> Written quite hastily but with loads of love! For DIG, you do so much for the HP fandom – your lovely fics, your wonderful art, all the Fests you mod! Thank you. ♥ You make Fandom a brighter place. :) Title is from Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.

It starts with a hand.  
  
Draco has learned how to control his temper the hard way. When being pushed around for having a certain last name, one has no option but to learn how to keep quiet. He considers himself a master at hiding in plain sight. If he’s not noticed, then he won’t be picked on. Simple as that.  
  
Unfortunately, there are people like Zacharias Smith in this world who often, most conveniently, seem to just  _run into_  Draco. It’s after one such  _"just friends catching up, Professor, that’s it. Isn’t that right, Malfoy?"_  that Draco finds himself surprised. He looks up from checking himself for injuries to find a hand waiting to pull him up.  
  
With all the dignity that he can manage, Draco takes Longbottom’s hand and allows himself to be hauled up. He is hit with a sudden dizziness when he finds himself holding onto Longbottom’s shoulder for balance.  
  
Longbottom’s very broad and firm shoulders.  
  
"Easy there, Malfoy."  
  
Despite the obvious changes in his physique, Longbottom still sounds the same. His voice still carries that tone of self-doubt, which suited the old Longbottom, but doesn’t fit with this new version.  
  
Draco steps back and coughs consciously; he fiddles with the sleeves on his robes.  
  
"Thank you," he says, voice hitching on a pained gasp as he lets his weight fall to his right leg. He almost ends up back on the ground, but Longbottom manages to catch him at the last minute, letting Draco rest his weight on him.  
  
As Longbottom helps Draco walk hobble towards the Hospital Wing, Draco wonders if maybe Smith and his cronies are justified in their actions.  
  
He was a  _real_  piece of shite once.  
  


(*)

  
  
Longbottom, "You can call me Neville, Draco. Try it. Neville..." starts hanging around after that incident. He seems to pop up everywhere.  
  
He’s there when Draco finds himself cornered by Seventh year Hufflepuffs. (What is the world coming to when even Hufflepuffs start resorting to violence?) He’s there when Draco finds himself banned from visiting Hogsmeade on the weekend because of the terms of his probation.  
  
Draco keeps hinting that he would be fine if Neville went with his friends, it’s not like he’s not used to spending time alone. But no matter how many times Draco brings the suggestion up, Neville refuses point blank.  
  
"It’s nothing I haven’t seen a hundred times before. Besides, why spend time buying sweets when I can check on my Mandrakes?"  
  
That’s another change that Neville's brought to Draco’s life – Herbology.  
  
His father always stated that Herbology was for women, puttering around in the garden and growing pretty things. Real men studied Potions. Or even Transfiguration.  
  
Neville teaches him that Herbology is more than just puttering around in the mud. He teaches him how to plant a seed and watch it grow, how to care for his herbs so that they flourish and produce wonderful ingredients that come together to create strong, wonderful potions. And most of all, he teaches Draco how to be patient and let things take their time.  
  
Draco never says things to Neville, doesn’t think he has to. Every time Neville gives him that small, proud smile when he sees Draco in the Greenhouse tells Draco that he doesn’t need to say anything; Neville already knows.  
  


(*)

  
  
"So," Neville starts one afternoon, about four months to the day he helped Draco, "the Winter Ball is in a few weeks."  
  
Draco hums distractedly, if you ask him this whole "Winter Ball" scheme is a load of tosh. Since when did Hogwarts start hosting things like these? If he wanted to spend his school year dancing and attending Balls, he would have gone to Beauxbatons.  
  
"I was thinking," Neville continues, taking Draco’s silence as interest, "could you, maybe, perhaps, teach me how to dance?"  
  
 _That_  makes Draco look up from his Potion’s notes.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Neville shrugs self-consciously, he’s running fingers through his hair, a sure sign that he’s nervous.  
  
"I don’t want to embarrass my partner at the Ball."  
  
"Your what?" Draco abandons his notes and turns his full attention to Neville, picking up all the little tells that indicate just how nervous Neville really is.  
  
"My partner, or you know, date," Neville explains, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Draco hopes that one word wasn’t enough to give Neville a hint of just how much he’s shaken up Draco’s world.  
  
"So, will you? Teach me how to dance? It’s just, I don’t want to make a fool of myself."  
  
Draco swallows and nods. "Yes. Of course. Of course, I’ll teach you."  
  
Neville gives him a quick smile and rushes off to class, leaving Draco alone to try and reconfigure his life.  
  


(*)

  
  
Teaching Neville how to dance is torture.  
  
More than once Draco wonders, while doing a semblance of a waltz around the room, if he has a masochistic streak he’s just discovering. There’s no other sane reason why he would agree to teach Neville how to dance, be in such close contact with his firm chest and strong arms and all that pine-y Neville scent  _every single day_ , just so that Neville could go and dance with someone else.  
  
So he keeps hurting himself, teaching Neville how to lead, how to hold his partner, how to lean into them – every little thing that makes Draco want to break something every time he imagines Neville doing this with someone else. He would have given up, probably, but Neville’s small smile at getting a step correct is enough to keep him going.  
  


(*)

  
  
He almost doesn’t go to the Ball.  
  
It’s only the thought of finally catching a glimpse of Neville’s elusive date that makes Draco change into his dress robes and head towards the Great Hall. No matter how much he’s prodded and begged, Neville hasn’t divulged the identity of his date and Draco’s more than curious to see who it is. And then, maybe, hate them for eternity.  
  
He grabs a flute of champagne from a passing house-elf and walks around the Hall, scoping the room for Neville. It’s as he’s almost ready to give up and leave that someone walks up to him and taps him on his shoulder.  
  
Draco turns to find Neville standing behind him. Neville, who looks amazing in his dress robes, every bit the leader. Neville, who is also, quite obviously alone.  
  
"Where’s —"  
  
"Can I have this dance?"  
  
Neville cuts him off with a determined air, his hand held out in front of him as he waits for Draco, just like all those months ago.  
  
"What? I don’t . . . " Draco rambles, eyeing Neville nervously. He refuses to let the hope build.  
  
Neville smiles softly and asks again, "Can I have this dance, please?"  
  
Draco reaches out with a shaking hand and lets Neville pull him onto the dance floor. It’s only when they near the end of the first dance, and Neville leans down to kiss him, that Draco lets himself relax. He melts into Neville’s embrace, letting himself lean on Neville.  
  
And as they turn around the dance floor, oblivious of all the other people around them, Draco holds onto Neville’s hand.


End file.
